Firefox hijacked homepage

(Image credit: Mozilla Public License Version 2.0)If your Mozilla Firefox web browser suddenly has an unwanted toolbar, its home page has changed without your permission or your search results appear in a search engine you never chose, then it may be time to reach for the browser-reset button.Many legitimate pieces of software, especially freeware, slap on third-party, browser-hijacking extensions, also known as add-ons, when you install them. The easiest way to get rid of these pesky varmints is a full browser reset.How to clear the cache in FirefoxWhat you need to know about the all-new Firefox VPNHow Chrome, Edge and Firefox protect your privacyThere are two ways to do this. You can "refresh" Firefox in a way that removes any add-ons and themes you might have installed. This also resets your preferences, including the home page and the search engine, to the defaults.You may likePopular Chrome extensions hijacked by hackers in widespread cyberattack — 3.2 million at riskIt's Data Privacy Day – 4 ways to protect your info onlineRefreshing Firefox is not supposed to delete bookmarks or saved passwords, but there are no guarantees. It might be best to back up your Firefox bookmarks first, and to also take a screenshot of the add-ons you have installed so that you can reinstall those you want to keep.The other way is to restart Firefox in "Safe Mode," which will temporarily disable, but not delete, add-ons and themes. This will not affect your preferences, so if a potentially unwanted program has hijacked your home page and search engine, they'll stay that way, but it's worth trying.The steps below are identical for the Windows, Mac and Linux versions of Firefox.1. Click the icon that looks like three stacked lines -- aka the "hamburger" -- at the top right of the browser window.(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)You'll be presented with two options. You can fully refresh, i.e. reset, Firefox, but your add-ons, themes, preferences and customizations will be deleted. Your bookmarks. open tabs and saved passwords should remain. If that's what you want to do, then go to Step 4 below.Get instant

How to Change Homepage in Firefox in WindowsThe homepage in Firefox is what you see when you open Firefox, open new windows, or click/tap on the Home button in Firefox.You can select to have your homepage be Firefox Home (default), blank page, or custom URL(s).This tutorial will show you how to change the homepage in Firefox for your account in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. CONTENTS:Option One: Change Firefox Homepage by Drag and DropOption Two: Change Firefox Homepage in OptionsEXAMPLE: "Firefox Home (default)", "blank page", and "custom URL" as homepage OPTION ONE Change Firefox Homepage by Drag and Drop1. Open Firefox.2. Open a tab to the webpage (ex: " you want to use as your homepage.3. Drag and drop this tab onto the Home button . (see screenshot below)4. Click/tap on Yes to confirm. (see screenshot below) OPTION TWO Change Firefox Homepage in Options1. Open Firefox.2. Click/tap on the Menu button , and click/tap on Options. (see screenshot below) If you like, you could copy and paste about:preferences#home into the address bar of Firefox and press Enter instead.3. Click/tap on Home in the left side, and do step 4 (default), step 5 (blank), or step 6 (custom URL(s)) below for what you would like to use as your homepage. 4. To Use "Firefox Home (Default)" as your HomepageA) Select Firefox Home (Default) in the drop menu for Homepage and new windows, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below) 5. To Use "Blank Page" as your HomepageA) Select Blank Page in the drop menu for Homepage and new windows, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below) 6. To Use "Custom URL(s)" as your HomepageA) Select Custom URLs in the drop menu for Homepage and new windows. (see screenshot below)B) Perform an action below for what you want to do:1) Enter a single URL (ex: " you want to use as the homepage.2) Open each webpage you want to use as the homepage in a separate tab, and click/tap on Use Current Page or Use Current Pages button. The Options tab will not be used as your homepage.3) Click/tap on the Use Bookmark button, and select a bookmark to be your homepage. If you choose a folder, all bookmarks in that folder will be the homepage and open in separate tabs.C) Go to step 7 below. 7. You can now close the Options tab if you like.That's it,Shawn Related TutorialsHow to Change Firefox Home Content PreferencesHow to Change New Tab page in Firefox in WindowsHow to Change Homepage in Google Chrome for WindowsHow to Change Microsoft Edge Startup Page in Windows 10Windows 11 Tutorials

Free Utility Eliminates Annoying Toolbars suchas Ask and Conduit and Restores Hijacked SearchRedwoodCity, Calif., July 7, 2015 – AvastSoftware, maker of the most trusted mobile and PC security in theworld, announced today that Avast’s patent-pending technology, Avast BrowserCleanup, has identified more than 60 million different browser add-ons andremoved more than 650 million from users’ browsers in the past two years. Whilenot malicious per se, browser add-ons that come as toolbars can hijack andswitch a user’s search preference and can be extremely difficult to remove onceinstalled. Avast Browser Cleanup removes theseunwanted toolbars from Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorerand lets users restore their search engine preference. Previously available asa feature in Avast Free Antivirus, Avast Browser Cleanup is now available as anew, free stand-alone product at Avast.com. “Toolbars are not classical malware so mostantivirus products won’t flag them as malicious. However, some of these add-onsbehave similarly to malware, which is frustrating for users,” said VinceSteckler, chief executive officer of Avast. “We’ve entered the decade ofunwanted add-ons -- Google is now cracking down and removing ad-injectingtoolbars from its Chrome store. Avast detects these toolbars and many more andis focusing on helping users battle browser toolbars that are one of the biggestconsumer security outbreaks since spyware.” Browser toolbars are often bundled withother free software, such as video players, Java and Flash updates. These toolbarstypically occupy the horizontal space below a user’s browser and can includebuttons, icons, and menus. Despite removing and re-installing a browser, thetoolbar will remain, which is a behavior similar to malware. Browser add-ons can frustrate users becausethey may:Change the browser homepage and searchengine without permissionTrack people’s browsing activities andsearchesDisplay aggressive adsManipulate search resultsTake up a lot of vertical space inside thebrowserRedirect requests to potentially dangerouswebsitesSlow down the browser and degrade thebrowsing experienceFight against each other and make normaladd-on handling